Man accused of killing his wife in Boonton made $2M real estate deal hours before shooting

BOONTON — Kashif Parvaiz, the man accused of murdering his wife Nazish Noorani in Boonton, was set to walk away with $2 million from a New York real estate deal that was agreed to just hours before his wife was murdered.

Real estate records show that Martin Ragusa, 74, sold his interest in a Queens apartment building to Parvaiz for $10.

The building on Parsons Boulevard in the Jamaica, Queens was sold for more than $9 million on Monday, said Marguerite Ragusa, who owned a share of the property as well.

Ragusa’s stepson Martin Ragusa described Parvaiz as longtime friend. The two men met when Parvaiz was only 14 and working as a laborer on Ragusa’s home, Marguerite said.

Ragusa and Parvaiz stayed close. Parvaiz took $10,000 a year from Ragusa to attend Columbia and Harvard, Marguerite said.

Neither school has any record of Parvaiz.

In December 2009, Martin Ragusa sold his share of the building to Parvaiz for $10, according to city records.

Marguerite said she had no idea that her stepson sold his share until last week when the building was sold.

Parvaiz, she said, didn’t hide his disappointment in his wife. He would bitterly complain about their marriage.

“He said he hated her,” Marguerite said.

Police believe that Parvaiz and Antoinette Stephen conspired to murder Noorani. Though investigators stopped short of saying the pair were romantically involved, court papers said Parvaiz and Stephen used text messages to plan Noorani's shooting late Tuesday.

Last week, Martin Ragusa defended his friend, saying he couldn’t have killed his wife.

"They were happily married," Ragusa said of the couple. "Everybody fights."